Why puppetry?
I got into puppetry because it's this wonderful, homespun, ancient artform, with low barriers to entry. It's got a DIY, crafty spirit - carpentry, sewing and tons of hot glue! Plus you get to do funny voices and people stare at the puppet instead of at the weirdo behind it. Epic stories can be told using very little. And it can be done anywhere - on street corners, in between burlesque acts, or in theaters with gorgeous lighting. People put their guard down around puppets and open up their imaginations. Photo by Richard Termine. Puppet created by James Godwin
I mostly build my own puppets and write my own shows. My stage is this little box that hangs around my neck, and is great for street performing because you can easily run away if the cops come. I built the box after seeing some Japanese performers use them at the Big Grin (a Punch and Judy festival in London). Pictured here is the PVC prototype using a payphone cable for a neck strap. This show was a medieval fantasy about a princess who does not want to get married, and the vegetarian dragon who helps her escape. It's a short and very silly musical, and yes, my helmet is made from a colander and cheese grater.
This is from my 8-minute-long rock opera, where I mash-up all the songs from the Rocket Man mythos of the '70s and '80s (Elton John's 'Rocket Man', David Bowie's 'Space Oddity', Peter Shilling's 'Major Tom'). The main character is Major Tom's wife, who lives out the drama of her partner being lost in space. You can see tiny Major Tom floating in his tin can over the starry space scene that's made from the side of a laundry hamper.
